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Thursday, April 22, 2010

"There are 12 hours during the day and above fifty in the night" - Marie de Rabutin- Chantal

Although it is not unusual for me to burn the midnight oil, this week has seen me stay up late to create every night. And I mean really late - I think I may have found those 50 hours. It was worth it.

Finished Quilt measures 51 inches x 65.5 inches

I have finished the Little Folks Quilt and am super pleased with it. It is so soft and dreamy, and drapes so beautifully. Even when you fold it, the creases just fall out.

Piecing with the voile fabrics was daunting at first, but my fears were very much unfounded. I used a little spray starch to settle the edges when piecing together the long strips of fabric. (Remember Little Folks Voile is extra wide at 55 inches). This ensured that the strips did not stretch or curve.

I was also pleasantly surprised to discover that machine quilting voile fabrics was a not as difficult as anticipated. As the fabrics are smooth and slippery they cause less friction and move through the sewing machine easily, gliding effortlessly. What I did do was change to a thinner needle, using a Microtex 60/8 needle. This is a sharp needle suitable for lightweight and fine fibers. No broken needles to report.

This quilt was inspired by a quilt made by Debbie from Calico and Ivy. Debbie used some perle cottons to feature some colorful hand quilting, and I was easily tempted to do so as well. My experience with anything hand sewing is limited indeed, but I was very pleased with how my stitches looked. I might have to start stashing some Perle cottons ...

The back of the quilt is also a voile fabric from the Little Folks range by Anna Maria Horner. I think having used all lightweight voile fabrics for both the front and back of the quilt certainly helped make the decorative hand stitching a little easier, with the needle gliding through quite happily.

The binding fabric is again more voile, and similar to the inspiration quilt, I used perle cotton to blanket stitch around the top and bottom edge of the binding (although I think I may have done it upside down?). It adds a touch of interest and a feel of luxury.

Lots of pictures here today, but my words alone are insufficient in describing this quilt.

All the colors of Little Folks by Anna Maria Horner

As you can see I have enjoyed every single quiet moment late into the night.

That is absolutely gorgeous. Do you have quilters fingers? I just started quilting and have been doing some hand quilting and the middle fingers on each hand have turned into pin cushions, they're so full of holes!

Yes, the blanket stitch is usually done the other way around, but the way you used it here is different and cool. I'm sure it gives the binding a fun texture. All the pictures are lovely. Thanks for sharing!

It is indeed lovely and your photos show how easily it drapes. I've done a blanket stitch on a wallhanging binding before and it does indeed dress up the quilt and give it a luxurious finish! Beautiful work!

That is absolutely gorgeous! WOW!!! And, you're right...there are many more hours in the quiet of the night. I used to not work outside of the home and it's unbelievable how much one gets done with absolutely no interruptions!

thank you very much for mentioning the batting you used! i was perusing the comments (3 years later) for that very info. our summers are HOT and humid and i want to make a quilt that won't smother us. your AMH quilt is so lovely! you always do such a great job pairing colors!

OK, so I don't throw this type of expression out there very often, but...OMG!!! I want to climb inside this screen and wrap it around me. No need for words on this post, the wonderful photos say everything - it is just amazing! My fav, no doubt!!!